Cyril Rioli Senior

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The St Mary’s football factory has produced many football stars but few as talented as Cyril Rioli Senior.

A 12 time Premiership player for the green machine, Cyril Rioli was a champion NT Schoolboy representative player in 1978 and 1979 when he was Best and Fairest winner and the NT schoolboys won the National Title that year. His efforts were rewarded in 1982 he was named team Captain and won All-Australian honours.

He was also an important member of the Teal cup team in 1983.

Cyril Rioli made his NTFL senior debut for Saints in 1982/83,the beginning of what can only be described as a truly stellar career. A two-time club Best and Fairest he also Captained the Club in 1996/97.

He played for the NT representative numerous times and was a member of the legendary 1988 NT team that won the Bicentennial carnival.

A member of the Aboriginal All-Stars team that played against Collingwood in 1994 he was also a member of the Back to Cyclone Tracy Team of Two Decades 1974 to 1994.

Cyril played his 200th NTFL game in November 1998 and was awarded NTFL player life membership the following year.

Unsurprisingly for a man who played a lead role in the club winning 12 flags, Cyril Rioli is a life member of the St Mary’s football club. A gifted footballer that time could not slow down, Cyril Senior continued to play for years after his retirement from St Mary’s. We welcome a true giant on Territory footballers, a 12-time NTFL Premiership winner, Cyril Rioli, into the AFLNT Team of the Century.